Details Of Botham Jean’s Family Lawsuit Against Dallas Are Revealed

Here's what the lawsuit is hoping to accomplish.

The family of the Black man who was killed by a police officer in his own Dallas apartment last month still has plans to sue the city, according to a new report. Botham Jean’s family announced their intentions earlier this month to sue Dallas for civil rights violations, but the lawsuit was seemingly in limbo last week after Jean’s mother said some questions she had were being answered by officials.

Lawyers representing the family revealed details of the pending lawsuit on Monday, showing exactly what Jean’s parents were hoping to accomplish with it.

“Jean’s parents say they want their lawsuit to not just focus on how their son died, but to change how police officers are trained about when to fire their weapons,” the Dallas Morning News reported Monday afternoon.

Part of the lawsuit will also focus on what Jean’s family has described as incompetence on the part of law enforcement, including Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson, who reportedly assured the family that the case was progressing. Johnson, who was appointed DA nearly two years ago, was running to be elected to the post next month and has at times seemed more concerned with her campaign than Jean’s killing.

“The Jeans also fault [Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé] Hall for turning over the case to the Rangers and say Dallas police should have kept investigating,” Dallas Morning News also reported. “Hall has said she turned over the case in an effort to be more transparent.”

However, Hall, at one point in the weeks after the shooting, told reporters that she was “prohibited” from firing Amber Guyger, the officer who killed Jean. Less than a week later, Guyger was fired.

There’s also the issue of the criminal charge Guyger was facing. She was charged with manslaughter, but that could be changed to murder depending on what a grand jury decides. However, it was unclear when, or if, a grand jury would ever convene.

It’s been nearly seven weeks since Guyger entered Jean’s apartment and killed him on Sept. 6, implausibly confusing her rental unit for his and purportedly suspecting he was an intruder in her home.

Local law enforcement has been accused of helping Guyger coverup her crime, allowing her to avoid criminal charges and remain free nearly three days following the shooting before she turned herself in and was arrested. She was finally fired nearly three weeks after she killed Jean. Her toxicology report has also not been released even though she reportedly submitted to a test the night of the shooting.

Jean family attorney Lee Merritttold journalist Jordan Chariton last week that Guyger was also given time to delete all of her social media accounts, except for her Pinterest account which “bragged about being violent, being short tempered. She bragged about use of force and she spoke out adamantly against things like kneeling [during the anthem] and said the NFL died of ‘Colin’ [Kaeprnick] cancer.”

5. September 11, 2018

From another angle, here is a door closing in the same apartment building Botham Jean lived in.

When Dallas PD Officer Amber Guyger says his door was open, it's almost as if she thinks nobody else lives in that building and can demonstrate that the doors close automatically. pic.twitter.com/MRXvZG1pVr

6. September 12, 2018

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7. September 13, 2018

Yesterday, I attended the funeral of Botham Shem Jean. It was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had. Botham was a man of God, a graduate of Harding University, a worship leader, and a brother in Christ. We shared the same city and the same small religious tribe. pic.twitter.com/5BxQyxPgaM

11. September 24, 2018

12. September 26, 2018

RIP Botham Shem Jean. He was a 26-year-old black man from St. Lucia who was shot and killed in his own apartment by a white Dallas police officer Thursday night. The officer reportedly faces manslaughter charges. https://t.co/50TnpC1Gb9pic.twitter.com/shRJnkBcxK

13. September 29, 2018

Today would have been Botham Jean's 27th birthday. We need to keep his name alive. We need police officers to be transparent, and we must remove biases from their ranks. We can't turn away from America's history of racial divisions, but we can pave a different path forward. pic.twitter.com/0ZfIZ8F1xv

25. December 28, 2018

26. December 30, 2018

Continue reading A Disturbing Timeline Of Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger Killing Botham Jean In His Own Home

A Disturbing Timeline Of Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger Killing Botham Jean In His Own Home

Dallas police officer Amber Guyger killing Botham Shem Jean in his own home has become an international story. Guyger, 30, was a police officer for four years, and she entered Jean's apartment on Sept. 6, claiming she thought it was her apartment because she was supposedly exhausted from work. It was not clear whether the door was locked or why Guyger started shooting, especially since her story has repeatedly changed and Jean isn't alive to explain. Nonetheless, he was shot and killed. The St. Lucia native was only 26 years old.
See Also: St. Lucia's Prime Minister Blasts Handling Of Botham Jean Case And America's Treatment Of West Indians
It took 72 hours for Guyger to be arrested and charged with manslaughter on Sept. 9. After only a few hours in custody, she was released on a bond of $300,000.
There have been several pressing questions about the handling of the case by the Dallas Police Department. Why were the five search warrants for Guyger's home never executed? Why did it take 18 days for her to be fired? Why has Guyger's story changed and where is she now? There were suspicions of a cover-up, and the world has been outraged. The killing of Botham Jean is another example of how Black lives and bodies are seen differently in this country. As we all know, if a Black cop killed a white woman in her apartment, there would be swift justice.
See the disturbing timeline below: